Stacy Peterson's aunt talks to grand jury

After hours of testimony before a Will County special grand jury investigating the disappearance of her niece Stacy Peterson, Candace Aikin emerged from the courthouse Thursday fighting her emotions.

"I'm glad I was able to tell them just how much I love Stacy and what a great person and a great mother she was, and to be of any help to the investigation," said Aikin, her eyes red from crying.

Thursday was Aikin's first appearance before the grand jury, which for months has been probing the Bolingbrook woman's Oct. 28 disappearance. Authorities have called her husband, Drew Peterson, 54, a suspect in the case, and police also are conducting a murder investigation into the 2004 death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

Peterson has not been charged and denies wrongdoing.

The grand jury also heard from 22-year-old Kimberly Matuska of Darien, who declined to discuss her testimony afterward and denied a law-enforcement source's contention that she and Peterson had a relationship.

"I can't talk about it," she said while leaving the courthouse. "I'm not seeing Drew."

Aikin, 48, of California said her testimony centered on her relationship with her niece, who was 23 when she vanished, and what she knew of their marriage.

"She wanted out, basically," Aikin said. "In August of 2007 was when she was getting more serious about it."

Aikin said her niece talked of leaving the relationship since early in the marriage, but that "it just escalated more in August. There was so much pressure. Fear too."

Aikin said she was able to visit her niece's young children Tuesday.

"I went to the house, and [Drew] made dinner," Aikin said. "It was hard, but I think I did better than I thought I would. [Stacy's son] pointed to a picture of Stacy and said, 'That's my mommy.' It was very cute. Drew said he wanted me to be comfortable, and I said, 'Well, I just want everyone here to be comfortable with me.'"

She said she hoped to be able to visit with Stacy's children again before heading home, but said she was concerned that, when Peterson learns of her appearance at the grand jury, he'll prevent her from seeing the children.

"He said I can [visit again], but he doesn't know about today," she said. "I might get banned."

Matuska, who testified after Aikin, said little about her involvement with Peterson.

"I'm just trying to get out of this," she said, rushing away from reporters.

A law-enforcement source told the Tribune that Matuska began a relationship after meeting Peterson on April 25 at a Bolingbrook bar through their mutual friend, Steve Carcerano.

Matuska told police that they continued to see each other on several occasions over the next several weeks, during which Peterson began frequenting the tanning salon where she works, and bought a tanning package, the source said.

The source said Matuska told investigators Peterson gave her a cell phone, which she showed to police. Investigators found the phone was equipped with a GPS function, but the source said it was unclear whether Matuska knew about that feature.

She also said she met Peterson's children, and that at one point he told her he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, the source said.

Peterson sounded disgusted to learn Matuska was the target of a barrage of media coverage Thursday.

"We're no longer seeing each other," he said. "This was too much for her. ... What would you do if we had drinks and moments alone together and everybody was giving you a hard time? It's bad enough I'm much older than she is. Just leave the poor girl alone."

Peterson will likely face his own media barrage Friday, when he is slated to appear in court on a charge of unlawful use of a weapon.

Last week, he was charged with possessing an assault rifle with a barrel nearly 5 inches shorter than allowed by law.

Attorney Joel Brodsky said he planned to file a motion to dismiss the charge, saying his client -- who turned over the weapon after authorities seized the rest of his firearms -- owned the gun while he was a police officer.

Peterson's publicist Wednesday released a photo of Peterson allegedly holding the weapon while on police duty in 2000 as an apparent bodyguard for actor John Travolta, who was in town to promote a film. Brodsky said the photo "proves" that Bolingbrook police officials knew Peterson possessed the weapon.

Authorities dismissed the photo as having no bearing on the case.

"The photograph is irrelevant," said Charles Pelkie, a spokesman for Will County State's Atty. James Glasgow.